The Perfect Match (4 page)

Alice’s expression became a bit dreamy. ‘I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.’ She paused. ‘On the other hand, I expect the light in first-class carriages is very flattering and he’ll get an awful shock when he sees me again.’

Bella began to giggle. ‘I don’t know much about first-class carriages but I shouldn’t think they worry about flattering the older woman when they design the lighting.’

Alice glared. ‘When you’re sixty, you won’t be making “older woman” jokes, trust me.’

‘OK, I believe you, but where would be the best place for you to go?’

After much discussion, Bella went on Twitter and asked for suggestions. Having considered these, they checked out websites and eating-out guides and eventually came up with a gastro pub.

‘But it has rooms!’ objected Alice. ‘He might think—’

Bella wouldn’t let her finish. ‘He won’t think anything of the kind! Now email him with the details. It’s not too far; you can get a taxi if you want to drink. Or you can ring me and I can be with you in twenty minutes.’

Alice went to her study and turned on her laptop. Oddly, given the difference in their ages, she felt reassured by Bella’s positive reaction. She was convinced it would be one dinner and then she’d never see Michael McKay again, but their meeting on the train and their subsequent conversation had been invigorating. She would enjoy the dinner too, she was sure.

A COUPLE OF
evenings later, Bella walked across Jane Langley’s expansive lawn, sent there by the notice on the gate: ‘In the garden’. She felt a bit like the Boden poster girl, but she thought the print dress was probably appropriate for drinks with her friend – whom she must remember to call Jane – and her nephew. Pretty but respectable was the look she was going for. She had picked a bunch of flowers from Alice’s garden and put them in a jam jar so Jane wouldn’t have to find a vase. Even though Jane had a garden full of flowers Bella felt she couldn’t arrive empty-handed and she knew Jane would appreciate them.

She could see them sitting where the rose grew up into the tree behind, on the chairs where she and Jane had often sat, drinking tea and eating cake. But as she got nearer, she realised Jane’s nephew looked familiar. Two steps on and she recognised exactly who he was and wished, with all her heart, that she could stop, turn and run back across the lawn to her car. There, sitting in a lovely sunny garden she knew well, was the reason she had left her hometown and her first job.

‘Darling! How pretty you look!’ said Jane Langley as Bella approached.

Dominic Thane stood up.

Two steps later Bella was face-to-face with her past.

‘Dominic says you two know each other,’ said Jane Langley. ‘What a coincidence!’

‘Yes,’ said Bella, trying to smile. ‘Hello, Dominic.’ Just for a moment, their eyes locked. He glared at her with such dislike it made her catch her breath. She’d worked hard to get away from him, physically and emotionally, and seeing him again, entirely unexpectedly, was a shock, especially given his reaction to her. She sat down without waiting to be asked. It was either that or fall over. She put the flowers down without even handing them over.

Dominic passed her a glass of champagne from the tray on the table. Jane was looking at her a bit oddly, she realised. Bella took the glass. ‘Are we celebrating?’

‘Dominic brought it. Isn’t it kind?’ Jane frowned. ‘Are you all right, dear?’

‘I’m fine!’ said Bella, sounding to her own ears a bit strangled, hoping no one had noticed she had yet to make eye contact with Dominic since sitting down.

‘Shall we have a toast?’ he said. ‘To the reuniting of family members and old friends.’

He raised his glass to his great-aunt and then looked across at Bella, but she didn’t look back. If they’d been friends once, the look he had given her told her they were anything but friends now. But why? How on earth had that happened? She hadn’t said goodbye to him when she’d left, but surely he wouldn’t care about that? And certainly not three years on!

Bella’s first sip of champagne at least made it possible for her to talk normally. ‘So, er – Jane, when did you last see Dominic? You might have told me, but I’ve forgotten.’ It wasn’t the best opening topic of conversation, but it was the best she could do.

‘He was a page boy at a family wedding when I last saw him,’ said Jane. ‘He looked enchanting. It was before he took after all the men in his family and his hair went white the moment he reached thirty. Then it was as dark as his eyes.’

‘I prefer to call it silver, not white, Aunt Jane,’ said Dominic and suddenly laughed.

A jolt went through Bella and she took another desperate sip. Her body was letting her down. It had just been a schoolgirl crush – nothing had happened between them! Not unless you counted a kiss under the mistletoe that might have – but probably hadn’t – contained a hint of something more. Her brain told her it was just because the moment Dominic laughed, his rather severe features were transformed into something very attractive. His silver hair highlighted his dark eyes, framed with brows and lashes that were equally dark. It was only her body responding. Her brain was in charge; it would be OK.

No one spoke and Bella sipped her drink, trying to think of something to say, wishing someone else would.

‘The garden’s looking lovely, Jane,’ she said at last, sounding like an actress who was ad-libbing rather unimaginatively.

‘Thank you. Since the weather has obliged I’ve been able to get quite a lot done,’ said Jane. ‘Oh, and thank you for sending that lovely young man. He’s set up a brilliant system so I can water my tomatoes without doing more than turn on a tap.’

Bella smiled. She’d thought the lovely young man was to be a secret, but obviously her old friend felt it was all right to mention him in front of Dominic. ‘I’m glad it all worked out OK.’

‘And he’s quite happy to come and do some of the heavier things for me if I want him to. I have got Keith, who does the lawns, but he’s not really a gardener. I can’t trust him. But Aiden knows his stuff.’

‘Oh good,’ Bella said, deciding to leave the conversation instigation to the other two. If she went on she’d end up asking Jane what she thought of the latest goings on in the
Archers
.

‘Would you like some more champagne?’

Bella looked up. Dominic’s expression was as cold as his laughter had been warm a moment ago.

‘Yes please,’ she said quickly. She was not going to get through this without some sort of support, and alcohol would have to be it.

Much to her relief Dominic and Jane began talking about family members and Bella was left to her own thoughts.

Was it just coincidence that had brought Dominic into her relatively new and comfortable life? He couldn’t have been following her, surely!

Or did he want to tell her off because she’d stopped Jane selling her house? If so, why wait until now? She had done that less than a year after she’d moved here. No, she was being paranoid, she decided. He didn’t dislike her and he wasn’t following her.

‘So, are you here for long?’ she asked when there was a break in the conversation.

‘I’m joining a practice in the area. As a solicitor,’ he added.

Bella’s heart lurched. She hadn’t forgotten he was a solicitor – they’d both worked for the same large estate agent, but here? Nevil’s estate agency wasn’t big enough to have a separate legal department; they used local solicitors, and that would mean she and Dominic could easily run into each other.

Still, if Nevil brought up his name she’d say something damning about him, and that would be the end of it. It would be far too embarrassing to have to work with him again.

‘Oh?’ she said. ‘That’s interesting.’

‘It should be. I’m very excited, about it.’

He didn’t sound terribly excited, but he always had been cool and unemotional.

‘He was going to rent while he looked for somewhere to buy, but it seems silly to do that when my house is so big,’ Jane explained. ‘You live with your godmother and it works well, doesn’t it?’

This was a nasty shock. She would have to time her visits to Jane more carefully. As Jane was looking at her appealingly, she quickly nodded. ‘It works brilliantly, but I’m very well house-trained.’

‘But you could find him a nice house, couldn’t you?’ Jane went on.

‘I might be able to, but don’t forget’ – she laughed lightly, sounding slightly shrill – ‘other estate agents are available.’

‘I’m very well aware of that,’ said Dominic and he frowned. His very dark brows, in stark contrast to his silver-grey hair, looked like clouds gathering before a storm.

What Bella longed to know was whether he’d be bringing his wife with him.

‘What sort of house would you want?’ asked Jane. ‘A family home? Period features?’

Bella couldn’t help smiling as she realised her long chats with Jane had rubbed off on her language.

‘I’d like something to do up and, yes, period details would be good. I don’t want a new-build.’

‘How many bedrooms?’ asked Bella, glad to be on firm ground again.

‘It would really depend on the property.’

‘More than two?’ She couldn’t help herself asking.

‘Definitely.’

She still didn’t know about his wife. Not that it would make any difference, not now.

‘Well,’ said Jane, who was beginning to relax, ‘you can’t expect Bella to find you a house if you don’t tell her how many bedrooms you want.’

‘I’m not particular. And I’m not in a hurry. If it’s OK with you, Aunt Jane, I’m happy to keep staying with you.’

Bella didn’t like this plan much. ‘I think you should rent. If you’re a cash buyer, you can go into a rental property, learn about the area, which parts you like best, and then you’ll be in a good position to proceed if the right property comes up.’

Dominic raised one of his thundercloud eyebrows. ‘That’s me told!’

‘No,’ said Bella firmly, ‘that’s you advised. Of course no one is obliged to take advice if they don’t want to.’ She got up. ‘Now, I’d better go. You’ve probably got a table booked.’ She bent down and kissed her friend’s cheek. ‘Thank you so much, Jane. It was charming, even if there wasn’t cake.’

She straightened up. ‘Goodbye, Dominic. It was – interesting meeting you again.’

Then she walked across the lawn, her back stiff and her chin up, wishing her heels didn’t keep sinking into the grass.

ALICE WAS SITTING
in her kitchen, ostensibly doing the crossword, actually thinking about Michael and trying to stop feeling so giddy about the prospect of what was really a thank-you dinner. She looked up as she heard Bella’s car pull up outside, glad to be interrupted. ‘Hi love!’ she called when she heard Bella’s key.

Bella came into the kitchen looking wretched.

Alice was disturbed. ‘Are you all right? What’s the matter?’ She couldn’t think what could have happened to make Bella so sad in the course of drinks with an old lady. ‘Mrs Langley hasn’t died, has she?’

Bella shook her head, almost laughing at Alice’s somewhat melodramatic suggestion. ‘Nothing as bad as that, thank goodness, but not good.’

Bella looked as if she needed to talk. ‘Big drink? Cup of tea?’ Alice suggested.

‘Tea, please.’ She pulled out a chair and sat down.

‘Did the nephew make a pass?’ Alice asked after she had put the kettle on, trying to make Bella smile or at least stop looking quite so down. ‘Put his hand on your knee while you admired the peonies? Bore you senseless?’

Bella managed half a smile. ‘No.’

‘Well, that’s something. Does this emergency need chocolate? I’ve got some in the freezer.’

‘It’s OK.’

‘So tell me what happened with the nephew.’

Bella sighed deeply.

Although she’d never said anything, Alice knew that when Bella had come to live with her three years ago, she hadn’t given her every single detail of why. ‘Yes?’

‘It wasn’t what he did, it was who he was.’

‘And who was he?’

‘Dominic Thane. The married man I left my hometown because of.’

Alice sat down quickly.

‘And he obviously really dislikes me!’

‘I know you told me a bit about it at the time, but run it all by me again. I think I must have forgotten a vital detail.’

Bella shook her head. ‘I don’t think you have. I was in love with Dominic – he was in our legal department – which was awful because he was married, but I did think I was keeping it together, trying not to be alone with him – much.’ She looked up. ‘I thought I’d get over it. It was only a crush, or so I thought, but then he announced his wife was pregnant and I knew I had to get right away.’

‘Had anything ever happened between you? I’m just not sure your crush would have lasted if you hadn’t had any encouragement.’

‘Oh, I don’t know . . .’

‘Yes?’ Alice prodded gently. Then she got up to find the brandy anyway. She needed one even if Bella didn’t.

‘Well, there was a kiss – under the mistletoe so quite respectable – at a Christmas party.’

‘It would have been unusual if you’d had mistletoe at a summer barbeque,’ said Alice.

Bella winced slightly. ‘And it went a bit askew – you know it happens, you don’t aim right, you shift a bit and suddenly it’s on the mouth.’ She looked up sheepishly. ‘It went on a second or two longer than it should have done, and ever since I’ve wondered if it really was by mistake – on his part.’

Alice sipped her brandy. ‘I don’t think these things happen by mistake. Not really.’ She paused. ‘Was there anything else that gave you even a hint that he might have – liked – you?’

Bella thought for a long time. ‘Well, we did work well together. And we shared a sense of humour. We got each other, you know?’

Alice nodded. ‘I know.’

‘Which is why I had to leave, really. I wasn’t certain I could trust myself not to – you know – engineer meetings, make him coffee “just because I was having one” and things like that. But I did leave, which was the right thing to do. And although I didn’t say goodbye to him personally – I couldn’t face it – we didn’t have a row or anything. But this evening . . .’ She thought back to his hostile expression. ‘It was if he was really angry with me, and I haven’t a clue why.’